I've been a fan of E-closet.ca since I first came across the online shop back in the fall. I was browsing the interwebs trying to find deals on sweaters and leggings when I saw that E-closet had a great selection. I also had the pleasure of hosting a holiday dress giveaway, which I ended up featuring AND wearing at Christmas.

Natasha, owner of E-closet, recently told me that the Danforth East Community Association (DECA) helps small businesses through the Pop-Up Project, by letting them have a physical location for a short period of time to see how it goes for them. This year, E-closet has a pop-up shop at 1801 Danforth Avenue, Toronto, and it's GORGEOUS.

E-closet is solely curated by Natasha, who picks all the items she wants featured in her online (and now pop-up) shop. Similar to Forever 21 and H&M, everything is trendy, reasonably priced and considered to be fast-fashion. The pop-up shop in the Danforth is currently scheduled to run until the fall (September/October).

Did I mention that the pop-up shop is beautifully merchandised?! I approve.

I often check out the new arrivals section in the online shop but didn't realize E-closet also had really nice, bright-coloured handbags and clutches.

These two dresses were my favourite out of the entire collection. Light for the summer, and perfectly align with the neon and tribal trend. E-closet also carries maxi and high-low dresses, but lately I've been trying to stay away from them because I have too many!

This is what I went home with! I really couldn't keep my eyes off that dress (available online, $34.50 CAD). The sailor earrings are super cute, and I needed a silver statement necklace.

WIN $40 GIFT CARD

E-closet is giving one lucky reader the opportunity to check out the pop-up shop located at 1801 Danforth Avenue in Toronto! Enter to WIN $40 Gift Card to E-closet's Pop-Up Shop. You have until this fall to visit and make your purchase.

To be eligible, you must fill out the Rafflecopter widget below and comment on this blog post telling me what pieces are on your must-have list for summer! It could be a skirt, denim cut-offs, crop top, anything. You also need to follow both @eclosetca and @summerxskin on Twitter.

For extra entries, you can do the following and indicate you did them in the Rafflecopter widget:

Tweet "Hey @summerxskin, I want to visit @eclosetca's pop-up shop in #toronto! Enter me for $40 Gift Card! http://bit.ly/13aaxMJ" You can tweet this once a day, every day

I've never been a huge fan of pants and I realize it's because I wouldn't make the time to find the perfect pair. As we see more of a shift from skirts and dresses into different types of pants, I'm starting to embrace the change as well. It's important to find the right fit for you, even if it means trying on a hundred pairs!

I'm not sure if a lot of you have been following Smart Set's rebranding lately, but they've been doing a lot to cater to a younger audience; university graduates or working professionals who make an effort to look stylish everyday (i.e. people like you and me). To be honest, I used to have a really difficult time finding things I liked at Smart Set, but lately, everytime I go in I seriously want to buy the ENTIRE store (you should've seen what my fitting room looked like earlier this week). Cropped pants, flirty dresses, high-low and peplum tops and an abundance of comfy-chic tees, Smart Set has it all for a very affordable price!

To cater to this younger and more stylish audience, Smart Set has also recently launched a fun festival campaign by sponsoring some of the major outdoor concerts happening in Canada this summer. I'm excited to share that they picked me as one of the 12 bloggers to attend a VIP Weekend with Smart Set at Digital Dreams Festival (June 29-30, 2013). I'll be traveling with a lovely group of bloggers, tweeting and sharing photos of everything that we'll be doing. Be sure to follow my crazy adventures on Twitter and Instagram!

WIN $75 SMART SET GIFT CARD!

In celebration of festival season, Smart Set is also generously offering $75 Gift Card to one lucky reader! To be eligible, you must fill out the Rafflecopter widget below and comment on this blog post telling me what your favorite summer trend is!

For extra entries, you can do the following and indicate that you did them in the Rafflecopter widget:

Tweet "I want to win this $75 Smart Set gift card #giveaway from @smartset and @summerxskin http://bit.ly/15Fttz5" You can tweet this once a day, every day

20 Bloggers for a Rose: The Lancôme Virtual Gallery

Bloggers were asked to share a personal interpretation in the form of a photograph that was inspired by the iconic rose. To experience The Lancôme Virtual Gallery, people were invited to download the smartphone app (available for iPhone or Android) and browse through the gallery while being present at David Pecaut Square during the festival (June 14-20, 2013).

Not sure if I say it enough on my blog, but I'm kind of a tech geek and found this whole augmented reality technology SO cool. I checked out The Lancôme Virtual Gallery on the first day and took a photo of what it looked like on my iPhone.

20
Bloggers for a Rose: The Lancôme Virtual Gallery - See more at:
http://daintygirl.ca/lancome-20-bloggers-for-a-rose/#sthash.nthNgbKc.dpuf

It's really awesome (and weird at the same time) to see my face on a smartphone app! The gallery rotates and shows all of the 20 photographs as you move around at David Pecaut Square. Some of my favourite bloggers and friends were also featured including Nicole (Dainty Girl), Maria (Beauty and a Bite), Rema (The Burgundy Book), and The Broken Heel Diaries.

"To me the rose symbolizes beauty. While inner beauty is what truly counts, it's okay to express it in the way you dress or wear makeup. Putting in that extra effort can make you feel that much more beautiful and confident. Go on, wear the colour you feel the most pretty in and take on the world!"

Special thanks to Headmistress for letting me borrow a BEAUTIFUL floral crown and clip! If you haven't heard of Headmistress or Jillian, the lady behind it all, check out the online shop. You can hold me accountable for any purchases made. ;)

Last month Clarisonic launched its online store in Canada and asked me to become a Canadian Launch Ambassador. I was able to try the Clarisonic Mia2 device and give one away to a reader as well!

As much as I love beauty and makeup, it's not often that I change my skincare routine. Why try to fix something that's not broken, right? For years I've been using similar cleansers, shampoos, sunscreen and moisturizer. Of course as I get older, I try new products and make additions to my staple morning and night-time routine (thank you anti-aging creams and eye serums).

Enter the Clarisonic Mia2. It is a skincare cleansing system where the brush works 6x better than your hands, reducing the size of your pores and blemishes. It is also said that you should start to feel and see an improvement in your skin just after two weeks.

Coming with a handy container, the Clarisonic Mia2 is travel-friendly with a long-lasting battery life. While you must charge it for at least 24 hours the first time, after that it's good for a few days until you have to charge it again. The plug charger is magnetic and latches on to the device, making it easy for you to rest it on a counter-top throughout the day.

The Mia2 brush has a 60-second timer for each time you use it. As you cleanse your face with the device it indicates when to switch to another section of your face (overall it covers your t-zone area and cheeks). It has two speeds, one that is lighter and gentle (I prefer this), and the second speed makes the bristles work harder and faster. It's highly recommended that you change the brush every three months as it may start to get significantly dirtier and wouldn't work as well. The kit also comes with a Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser, which is a thick-consistency but dewy as you apply it all over your face right before using the device.

I had my
doubts and thought maybe the bristles would be too tough on my sensitive
skin, but boy was I wrong. Everytime I use the Mia2, I can feel my skin
getting softer and smoother instantly and often don't have to wear
foundation or tinted moisturizer the next day!

My main skin concern is that I have redness in certain areas like my cheekbones and chin. I also get pimples every now and then, but the Clarisonic Mia2 prevents all that from happening. I've been using it for a month now, and noticed that my cheeks feel less bumpy and softer and redness has also reduced; it's still there, especially if I don't sleep well, but not as apparent anymore.

As much as I love to use the Clarisonic Mia2 brush, I'm not a big fan of the gel cleanser. My skin is already quite dry and I feel like the gel is meant to work better for oily skin, so I prefer to use my own cleanser.

Overall, I highly recommend the Clarisonic Mia2. Valued at $175 CAD, it's great addition to your skincare routine and makes a big difference once you start using it more frequently. I made a quick demo video showing you how to use the Clarisonic Mia2. Hope you like it!

+ + + + + + + + + +

This is a sponsored post. However, all photos and opinions are my own.

It took me a while to find a crochet crop top that I loved, one that I could easily wear almost like a sweater on top of a dress or tunic. This one stood out mainly because of the pattern. It complements the entire outfit, and to make it stand out even more I kept it neutral with the accessories. I think my new favourite material is crochet; I recently got crochet flats and now I'm on the hunt for a cute crochet bag.

Lately it seems that everyone has been strumming in the city! Strum is the world's first customer experience app (available on iOS and Android), where users can leave feedback and photos for local businesses including retailers, coffee shops, restaurants and more. There is a point system in place for each time you "strum" a company that can help you redeem auctions and prizes.

Earlier this week I had the chance to strum around Queen Street West for some shopping and sushi dinner with James. Keep reading to find out how you can win $50 gift card to H&M!

We started our evening at To-ne Sushi to satisfy our dynamite roll craving...

If you live in Toronto or are visiting, you MUST go to To-ne Sushi. I've eaten out a lot in my life (especially sushi) and can honestly say this is the best. Quality and quantity is consistent and delicious!

Our order is almost always the same: shrimp + vegetable tempura, salmon roll and dynamite roll. The chefs at To-ne Sushi are very talented.

After filling our tummies we strolled over to H&M. We both decided we need items for the beach and occasional picnics; looks like we came to the right place!

For less than $50 we were able two pairs of shoes (sandals for him, crochet flats for me) and a cute hat!

What do you think of our new purchases from H&M? Now, if only the rain would go away so we could actually put these items to use.

I was really happy with how my night turned out, so I strum'd and wrote positive notes for both H&M and To-ne Sushi on Queen Street West!

WIN $50 GIFT CARD TO H&M!

Strum has offered to give my readers the chance to win $50 Gift Card to H&M! To enter, all you have to do is download Strum on your phone, and start strumming at all the places you go to.

The more you strum and leave comments/reviews, the more points you earn! You can use these points to bid on the $50 Gift Card to H&M, as well as other amazing auctions.

Good luck! I look forward to seeing who the winner is. :)

This is a sponsored post.

and start using it. We’ve hooked it up to Twitter so our friends can see
the feedback that we leave but you can just as easily leave private
feedback.

Start leaving feedback. Each comment will earn you point(s) that you can use towards your bid.

Bid on anything that you like in the auction.

- See more at: http://chicdarling.com/strum-provide-feedback-and-win-prizes/#sthash.rkPhwSSF.dpuf

Today I am collaborating with one of my favourite bloggers in Chicago, Love Zahra! We've been blogger + social media friends since I started this blog (in fact, I was reading one of my first posts and saw her comment on it), and I'm excited that we finally got to work on something together.

We've provided you with six different ways of styling a graphic t-shirt! I'm sharing three looks here, and she has the other three on her blog. I really love how this turned out, especially because each outfit caters to a specific trend. I picked up my graphic tee from Garage, and to be honest, it was a pure coincidence that it matches my blog name!

Keep reading more for outfit details and what inspired me to create the looks.

It's simple to style a tee with a blazer and jeans, so I wanted to create something with a bit more of an edge. Not tucking in the graphic tee emphasizes the casualness, yet the blazer, skirt and black pumps keep it more professional. I decided to go the minimal route with accessories, as the pattern-mixing is already quite empowering.

By the way, the skirt is not supposed to be high-low, it's a simple bodycon skirt but the fabric sticks to the tights sometimes making it appear that way. I've also worn this skirt previously with a green cardigan, as well as a red wool sweater. I first styled this gorgeous coral blazer for an outfit during World MasterCard Fashioon Week.

I must have worn these floral leggings a million times already, but had yet to find the perfect graphic tee that would look flattering. This t-shirt works perfectly, as it covers my bum (it's a must, ladies!) and brings out the bright floral pattern.

Have you ever found a pair of pants that fit like a glove, and you never want to take them off? These are it for me. I have worn them at least once a week since I got them (no joke, ask my co-workers). Naturally I had to style this graphic tee with them! I think the white accent in the belt and ballet flats brings out the text.

One thing I learned at a very young age from a recruiter was that interviewers may look for a few things when they're analyzing your appearance: how your hair looks and how much skin you're showing.

There is a way around to making sure you can avoid the negative thoughts, and that is simply to tie your hair back and make sure your legs are covered. Luckily, printed pants and skirts are in this season, so why not style one for a chic, office look?

Nothing gets me more excited than collaborations. When I first heard about Benefit Cosmetics partnering up with celebrity designer, Matthew Williamson, I knew it would be something extraordinarily colourful.

Benefit's The Rich Is Back kit ($40 CAD, available at Sephora) is inspired by the 1970s, and can help you achieve many looks from neutral office makeup, to a romantic date night, and even a night out on the town!

I'm already a huge fan of Benefit Cosmetics, so I had no doubt this kit would be one for keeps. The size is perfect for traveling and can easily be carried in your handbag for daily touch-ups, or if you're like me, to do your makeup on the TTC.

Benefit Cosmetics Canada is currently hosting a fabulous Facebook contest for one lucky person to win the grand prize of the Matthew Williamson The Rich Is Back kit, Foxy Originals for Benefit bracelet (both photographed above), PLUS a Matthew Williamson scarf. The contest closes on June 21, click here to enter now!

There's more...

With the generosity of Benefit Cosmetics Canada, I am also giving away a limited edition Matthew Williamson print-wrapped Benetint and High Beam to one lucky reader!

Both of these products are well-known in the beauty community, and if you haven't tried them yet then you're definitely missing out! The Benetint ($36 CAD, available at Sephora) is a rose-tinted cheek and lip stain that is smudge-proof and gives a beautiful sheer tint. The High Beam ($32 CAD, available at Sephora) is a complexion enhancer, also known as a liquid highlighter that brings a dewy glow to your cheek and brow bones. I've been using both of these products for years and can honestly say that they are incredible.

The biggest surprise for me was that the curls lasted all throughout the night and were manageable the next day as well. My hair is really stubborn and unless I use a full bottle of hair spray, curls don't normally last. I became a Rowenta Beauty believer!

Since then I've been using the Rowenta Beauty Curl Active to style my hair everytime I want something different than my normal, straight hair. I especially love how effortless the curls look, and really, it takes about 7 minutes! If you're looking for something more Taylor Swift-inspired, spiral curls can also be achieved.

I made a video tutorial explaining how to use the Rowenta Beauty Curl Active that may be helpful to you. The how-to part was cut short (I accidentally deleted one of the main video clips) but it still shows you how to curl both sides of your hair. Check it out!

I want you to become a Rowenta Beauty Believer too. With the help of the brand, I'm giving my readers/YouTube subscribers a chance to win the Rowenta Beauty Curl Active!

HOW TO ENTER:

Since I'm co-hosting this giveaway contest on my blog and YouTube channel, there are a few options for you to choose from. You can enter by commenting on this blog post and telling me who your favourite female celebrity is and why.

I often wear leggings with tunics and short dresses. They are light-weight and guarantee comfort. I've been loving that leggings this season come in all colours and prints, makes it that much more fun to style them.

I've worn these striped leggings a few different ways, but this is my favourite look. Paired with a simple black tunic and a bright floral envelope clutch, it's appropriate for daytime but you can also go out for drinks with friends!